The Fisheries Corporation is now incapable of meeting the fish requirement of consumers due to inefficient management, lack of supervision in the procurement process and malpractices including paying huge commissions to middlemen.
The corporation has targeted to purchase 7200 metric tons of fish by spending a sum of Rs. 2,592 million in the year 2017/2018 under review.
According to the progress report, 3329 metric tons of fish had only been purchased only by spending a sum of Rs.1, 381 million.
Although it was targeted to earn an income of Rs. 3,375 million by selling 7200 metric tons of fish, an income of Rs. 1,915 million had been earned only by selling of 3857 metric tons.
Accordingly, the Fisheries Corporation had failed to reach the sales target by 46 per cent. Further, they have also failed to supply fish at concessionary prices which is the Corporation's main objective.
The Fisheries Corporation has changed the present system of procuring fish and instead introduced a direct purchasing method of fish stocks from the fisher folk on the shore without the involvement of middlemen.
The new method will be able to save a massive amount of commissions paid to the middlemen can and quality fish can be provided to the consumers at low prices.
It has been revealed that at some occasions, the middlemen's commission amounts to Rs. 30-40 per kilo of fish.
He said around Rs. 6 million is due from the Fisheries Corporation to fishermen for fish supplied during the months of April and May.
Official data revealed that a sum of nearly 270 million has been outstanding since 2015.
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